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Possible plane attack thwarted

By REBECCA CATALANELLO
Published July 7, 2006

	[Times photo: Brian Cassella]
	Jason Moore, 27, saw a man leap up and sprint from the black of the plane toward the cockpit.
	Neftali Lai-Mendez, left, is scheduled for discharge from the U.S. Army on July 12, according to his brother.

TAMPA — Passengers physically restrained an agitated man on a flight from New York City who stormed toward the cockpit of a Delta flight as it was about to land at Tampa International Airport shortly after 11 p.m. Thursday. 

U.S. Army soldier Neftali Lai-Mendez was taken into custody under the Baker Act after authorities say he tried to storm the cockpit of a Delta Air Lines flight.

Lai-Mendez was to be discharged from the Army on July 12, police reports said. He was traveling to Tampa with his brother Robert Cordero-Mendez, who told police he suspected that his brother was having some mental problems related to his Army service.

New York resident Jason Moore, 27, visiting family in St. Petersburg, said he was sitting two rows from the rear of the plane when a man took a seat at the very back of the aircraft 15 or 20 minutes before it was scheduled to land.

“I didn’t hear him say a word. He just kind of seemed like he was nervous, he was anxious,’’ Moore said.

Lai-Mendez stood up about 15 minutes before the plane landed and refused to sit down. He observed a passenger and told his brother "he's the one,'' according to a police report. Then Lai-Mendez ran toward the front of the plane and slammed into the cockpit door, police said. He fell back, and rammed it again.
Moore said the man ran  “like he was running in a track meet’’ down the aisle toward the cockpit.

Passengers in the first class section heard the commotion, and two to three large men in that section tackled and restrained La-Mendez, Moore said.

 “It was really inspiring to see that,’’ he said of their reaction, recalling 9-11. You could hear him running down the aisle quickly,  and they got up and intervened, he said.

“They didn’t need to know anything else. They just got up and contained him.’’

He said Lai-Mendez spoke Spanish, and when he was sitting at the back of the plane, he behaved oddly, tapping people on the shoulder and pointing to some oriental tattoos on his arms. Flight attendants brought someone who had been seated with him at the front to speak with him at one point,  Moore said.

The last time he saw him, he was seated in wheelchair in handcuffs, he said.

“He just looked like he didn’t know what was going on.’’

The plane took off from La Guardia Airport at 8:05 p.m. and landed at 11:10. p.m.

Police questioned the passengers who were involved and members of the crew, Moore said.

He called it “definitely the most interesting flight I’ve ever been on.’’  

Tampa Fire Rescue officials said they responded to the call, but referred questions to airport authorities. TIA spokeswoman Brenda Geoghagan could not be reached for comment.

[Last modified July 7, 2006, 12:15:31]